


Thinking of You

by LaughingFreak



Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Gen, Grief/Mourning, Loss, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 10:19:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17222144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaughingFreak/pseuds/LaughingFreak
Summary: Every year Jungo remembers her.





	Thinking of You

**Author's Note:**

> I started this a couple years back and finally finished it, FINALLY. As short as it is it should have been done a long time ago, but slow and steady wins the race??? Better late than never??? Never give up???
> 
> Well, here it is, anyways.
> 
> God, I hope it's coherent enough...

Inside the little restaurant it was warm and cozy. It was late evening near closing and only a couple of patrons were left, an elderly couple that were regular attendants—coming in every Thursday. The couple owned the antique ship across the street and always taught Jungo about some of the old appliances that they used to use when they were growing up.

The only other customer in the room was a business man slouching at the counter slurping at his leftover beef broth. The man was always quiet when he came in and it was always a couple hours before closing every few days a week. He was older and usually tired, but he was always polite.

It was not a busy restaurant, but it wasn’t hanging by a thread either. The business was running smoothly and the food was appreciated by the patrons.

For Jungo this was enough to make him happy.

Though, you wouldn’t be able to tell by the solemn air that surrounded him. He was quieter than usual and distracted from the conversations that a worker or patron would try to drag him into. His mind was elsewhere today.

He glanced to the side and saw the fluttery image of a girl with long light red hair and grey eyes sitting at the counter looking over music sheets and moving her fingers like she was moving them along a keyboard. Then the image disappeared and he frowned as he took the bowl of the business man and wished him a good day.

For all her attitude and brash nature he missed Airi. He missed her a lot.

It’s been three years since the car accident and every year it was hard to think about. They survived so much worse before that. Fighting those monsters and trying to keep Tokyo stable, something that was so dangerous that the two of them barely survived. The two of them protected each other and stuck together through thick and thin, at least when he wasn’t getting distracted by other things.

She would get so mad at him for losing himself to another cause or issue. It brought a smile onto his face.

And Airi was so talented. After the whole world in danger thing she finally went back to her passion and began playing the piano again. Airi put herself back into it with a ferocity that Jungo couldn’t help but admire. Watching her work towards her goal of becoming a pianist inspired him to work harder towards his own goal.

He got his own little restaurant and she became famous pianist.

The bell above the door to the restaurant dinged and he looked up from his hands, awoke from his daydream, and noticed that the lobby was empty. All the patrons had left. Jungo looked at the time and gave a tired sigh. Time to close up.

Jungo wiped his hands clean and walked over to the door to lock it up, dragging his keys out of his pocket. He flipped the ‘open’ sign to ‘closed’. Outside the windows of the glass door snow fell in little flakes, people bundling up in their coats and scarves covering half their faces. There was a girl with light red hair that passed by with her parents, a happy smile on her face as she swung between the adults with a laugh and smile.

It reminded him of Airi, the way the girl looked similar, but it was only because of the little girl’s hair. Little things like that, simple and unimportant, nonsensical things, were reminders of a friend that he has lost years ago.

Airi was so young and in the height of her career.

He pressed his palm to the cold glass.

“Hey, boss,” said one of his young employees, “almost got the lobby cleaned. Need help with anything else?”

Jungo blinked and turned to his employee. “Ah, no, just finish the lobby. I got the rest.”

The employee saluted with a smile and said, “Right-o!” Then he sauntered off.

The chef smiled.

As the employees finished up the shop owner turned to the shelf holding a small boombox and turned it on. Piano music came through the speakers and Jungo turned it down to soft background noise.

If he closed his eyes he could see Airi, all of her grown as a young adult and beautiful and talented, pressing her fingers into the keys. Her hands easily sliding from one key to the next as music formed from the tips of her fingers.

He remembered when Airi first made the CD for him, how when she handed it to him he couldn’t stop the smile that reached his face; _To my brother_ , it said, and his heart warmed. She had blushed and made up excuses, but in the end gave him a hug and a cuff to the head.

He remembered going to her first concert of her career, seated next to her father, and being nothing short of happy and proud of her. Remembered how the three of them celebrated afterwards and how she glowed and smiled.

He also remembered how she was so excited to play with one of her favorite musicians for a concert, been offered the opportunity, and walking her to taxi. But then when he woke the next morning he saw her name on the news, announcing her death.

Jungo missed his little sister every day. They may not have been blood, but they were siblings regardless of that.

The door to his shop opened and just as he was about to tell the person that they were closed he saw the familiar fedora and red beard with streaks of silver nowadays.

“Mind some company?” asked the man, a tired smile on his lips.

“As long as you don’t mind helping close up,” said Jungo, smile matching the other man’s own.

The older man laughed and Jungo’s smile widened slightly, knowing he at least had someone to share this day with that felt the same he did.


End file.
